King Rui looked at Shen Baozhu and the Fourth Prince with a troubled expression. The Fourth Prince was his junior, but privately, he liked Shen Baozhu more.
After much thought, King Rui finally noticed a very important point.
The emperor was his grand-nephew, so the Fourth Prince was from the generation of his great-grandson. However, the Fourth Prince called him grandpa, which meant there was a difference in seniority. It indicated that the Fourth Prince was following Yan Mingli's relationship. In this regard, he was more familiar with Shen Baozhu!
King Rui found a reason and successfully convinced himself. Then he gave both the sugar painting and the tumbler to Shen Baozhu.
The sugar painting was very large. Shen Baozhu held it up and compared it. She found that the sugar painting was even bigger than the Fourth Prince's head. There were messy patterns on it. It didn't look like a painting but more like a sugar cake.
King Rui was very proud. "I said I wanted a phoenix. That sugar-painting maker took half a tael of silver from me! He said that the phoenix was complicated and required a lot of sugar. He claimed his family was in difficulty, with old and young to support, so I gave it to him. Who would have thought that scoundrel was lying to me."
"I just took the ladle when he wasn't paying attention and added a lot of sugar. Baozhu, look at this sugar painting. Isn't it huge!"
Dragon King: [Did you get the silver back?]
Lin Yu: [It wasn't mentioned. I guess not.]
Lin Yu: [Let Old Man Gu be happy. It seems he isn't short of money. He just wants to have some fun.]
Hearing the word "phoenix", Shen Baozhu looked at the sugar painting more carefully. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find any sign of a phoenix.
Doctor Qian was very anxious. "My lord, who lied to you? Is it Zhao Laoliu from the street corner? He's an orphan and hasn't gotten married yet. That story about having old and young to support must be a lie to deceive you, my lord. I'll go and get the money back. Half a tael of silver isn't a small amount."
"Hey hey hey, I gave that lad the money on purpose. He has a sweetheart. I gave him the silver on purpose. Don't worry. No one in this world dares to lie to me." King Rui reached out to stop Doctor Qian and explained.
Doctor Qian didn't understand King Rui's intention and asked carefully, "Then why did you say Zhao Laoliu lied to you, my lord?"
King Rui laughed twice and spread his hands. "There are too many poor people in this world. An old man like me can't help everyone. I can only do what I can. Zhao Laoliu was lucky. He happened to meet me when I came to find Baozhu and wanted to bring her two fun things. He asked for a high price, so I gave it to him."
"Zhao Laoliu is smart. He knows I'm helping him on purpose, but those onlookers around him may not. If I didn't scold him a few times, I'm afraid those people would think I'm an easy target and come to take advantage of me."
Holding the sugar painting, Shen Baozhu remembered when Yan Mingli took her to collect rent. She said cheerfully, "I know, I know. This is the same as when Brother Mingli collects rent. He wants to help Doctor Qian, but he can't be too obvious. He just kicks the medicinal materials...呜呜呜!"
King Rui quickly covered Shen Baozhu's mouth and whispered in her ear, "Be a good girl, Baozhu. Grandpa will give you a gift. Don't talk for now."
Dragon King: [The kind intention of the fool has been exposed by the cute girl. Hahaha.]
Dragon King: [It's always fun to watch the cute girl's daily life.]
Lin Yu: [It's really from the bottom of Dragon King's heart. Dragon King is always laughing.]
Immortal Qingyun: [It is indeed the same principle as when Yan Mingli collects rent. It should be Old Man Gu who taught Yan Mingli.]
Normally, Doctor Qian wouldn't have thought of this, but after Shen Baozhu's reminder, he immediately understood Yan Mingli's secret help to him. His eyes filled with tears, and he even wanted to kneel down to King Rui.
King Rui quickly helped him up. "Back then, in the freezing snow, if it weren't for you risking the snow to get medicine for me, I might not be here today. Mingli's actions are just repaying the favor for me."
"No. Let's not mention that the favor has already been repaid. Moreover, Young Master Yan used fifty taels of silver to save you, while my medicinal materials were only worth five taels of silver. I'm so ashamed!" Previously, Doctor Qian had run the medical clinic passed down from his ancestors. After being blackmailed, he switched to opening a pharmacy and rarely treated patients.
Dragon King: [Wow, there's such a background.]
Qiuqiu looked at King Rui and then at Doctor Qian. Seeing them supporting each other, she was extremely happy. "Baozhu, Grandpa Gu is so nice. As soon as he comes, Doctor Qian won't teach me to recognize medicinal materials anymore!"
Doctor Qian immediately straightened up and looked at Qiuqiu seriously. "No. You still need to recognize the medicinal materials."
Qiuqiu immediately looked like an eggplant beaten by frost, hanging her head.
King Rui loved Shen Baozhu so much that he also thought Qiuqiu was very cute. So he spoke up for Qiuqiu. "She's still a child. Why be so strict with her?"
"You must be Qiuqiu, Baozhu's good friend. Go and play with the tumbler with Baozhu over there."
With King Rui's help, Qiuqiu escaped this disaster. She and Shen Baozhu went to the corner to play with the tumbler, while the large sugar painting ended up in the hands of the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince looked at it eagerly. He sniffed it gently with his nose, and his eyes lit up. It was a sweet fragrance!
King Rui observed the Fourth Prince's every move and deliberately probed, "What's that hanging on your chest?"
In the corner, Shen Baozhu pushed the tumbler and replied casually, "That's the Fourth Prince's buns, meat patties, and sesame cakes!"
King Rui's expression paused slightly. He wanted to hear the Fourth Prince's answer, but unexpectedly, Shen Baozhu answered for him.
Not giving up, King Rui stared at the Fourth Prince for a while and found another topic. "Why do you hang the food on your chest? Why not make a cloth bag that can be slung over your shoulder or carried on your back? It would be not only beautiful but also convenient."
This time, it was Qiuqiu who answered King Rui. She leaned forward and explained, "Because the Fourth Prince is afraid that the food will be snatched away. He doesn't want to carry it on his shoulder. Auntie gave the Fourth Prince a cloth bag, but he touches it once with every step he takes, and three times with every two steps!"
"After walking a few more steps, the Fourth Prince will take out the food to check it. Auntie thought it was too troublesome, so she changed it back to the current small bag."
Since Qiuqiu had been in the Princess Mansion for a long time, she also called Princess Jingning auntie like the two older sisters.
King Rui first nodded thoughtfully. Then he remembered his purpose. He patted his head and asked half-smilingly and half-curiously, "Why do you and Baozhu always answer? Can't the Fourth Prince speak?"
Dragon King: [What's wrong with this Old Man Gu? I feel like he's targeting the Fourth Prince.]
Dragon King: [Well... I know. Old Man Gu has a special identity!]
Lin Yu: [Could it be related to the emperor? Or is he from the royal family?]
Dragon King thought it was unlikely again. [Would a high-ranking official or a relative of the royal family be so rascal and unreliable?]
Lin Yu thought of the first time he met King Rui. He had played the victim and wronged Yan Mingli. He had also done a few rascal things. So he wasn't sure either.
It was Immortal Qingyun who guessed a bit. [But the Yan Mingli he taught is extremely good. According to Yan Mingli, those two streets were given to him by Old Man Gu. It's not very likely that an ordinary old man would own two streets in the capital.]
Dragon King: [That's right! I thought of that too!]
Lin Yu skipped over Dragon King's message. [That's right. Old Man Gu's identity is not simple. Then what's his purpose in approaching the Fourth Prince?]
Immortal Qingyun: [I'm not sure. I've calculated, but the secret of heaven is covered. He should be a member of the royal family.]
Dragon King: [I know. The emperor wants the Fourth Prince to be the crown prince, and Old Man Gu is here to investigate!]
Lin Yu skipped over Dragon King's message again. [Old Man Gu is Mingli's adoptive grandfather and is also very close to Baozhu. He shouldn't have any bad intentions.]
Immortal Qingyun: [Yes.]
Dragon King: [This stupid thing is broken again. I can't even send my messages!]